Wardley mapping: how to draw a map, with an example

Who should use it, and when not to

Wardley maps fit decisions about what to build in-house and what to buy across a product or an operation. They help when a team suspects it is spending effort on solved problems, when a roadmap needs checking against how its technologies are changing, or when a complex stack has to be explained to people who don't run it.

A map doesn't tell you how profitable an industry is; for that, use Porter's five forces. It is not a cost breakdown of your activities either; that is Porter's value chain. A map is also slow to justify for a one-component decision. If you're unsure which method fits, start with choosing a strategy framework.

The core concepts

The anchor. Every map starts with a user and what they need, in their terms. "Grow revenue" is a company goal, not a user need. Simon Wardley's own introduction puts it first for a reason: everything below exists to meet that need.

The value chain and visibility. Below the need sit the components that meet it, then the components those depend on, down to basic infrastructure. Components the user sees directly go near the top. Those they never see go near the bottom.

Evolution. The horizontal axis shows how mature each component is in its market. It runs through four stages:

Movement and inertia. Competition pushes components to the right over time. Inertia is the resistance to that movement: contracts, skills, past investment, or a company that was successful with the old way.

Climate, doctrine, gameplay. Wardley's wider method adds three layers to the map. Climatic patterns are changes that happen whatever you do, such as "everything evolves through supply and demand competition" and "success breeds inertia". Doctrine is good practice that applies almost everywhere, such as "focus on user needs" and "use appropriate methods". Gameplay is the set of deliberate moves that depend on your position, such as open approaches, alliances, or being a fast follower. For a first map, the anchor, the chain, evolution and movement are enough.

A worked mini example

Illustration, made up for this page. A small company runs online math tutoring for high-school students. The parent's need: the child passes the end-of-year exam. The company has 4 engineers and must decide where they spend next year.

The map shows a mismatch. The whiteboard is a product-stage component, but two of the four engineers maintain a home-built one. The differentiators parents notice, vetting and the progress report, are custom-built and still changing. AI practice tutors are in genesis, and if they mature they serve the same need as the progress report.

The moves follow: replace the whiteboard with a product after a 30-day trial with 6 tutors. Put the freed engineers on a standard progress report. Run a small, cheap experiment with an AI practice tutor and watch rivals. Keep vetting in-house and write it down.

Common mistakes

• Mapping the org chart or a process flow. A map is components placed by visibility and evolution, not boxes for teams or steps.
• Placing by importance. A critical component can still be a commodity. Place it by how evolved its market is, with evidence.
• One method for everything. Agile for genesis and strict process for commodities can both be right in the same company.
• Treating the map as finished. Its value is the argument about where things sit. Redraw it with the team.
• Ignoring your own inertia. What you built and are proud of is often what you should stop building.

How to draw a Wardley map

1. Fix the anchor. Name the user and their need in their own terms, and write it at the top of the page.
2. List the value chain. Write the components that meet the need, then what each depends on, down to infrastructure, and order them from visible to the user at the top to invisible at the bottom.
3. Place each component on the evolution axis. Choose genesis, custom-built, product (+rental) or commodity (+utility) for this market today, and write one line of evidence for each placement.
4. Mark movement and inertia. Note which components are moving right and how fast, and where contracts, skills or past investment resist that movement.
5. Look for method mismatches. Find components built in-house that the market sells as products or utilities, and new components treated as if they were standard.
6. Choose the moves. Give each component a method that fits its stage, then pick a few strategic moves: where to differentiate, what to hand to suppliers, and what change to prepare for, each with an owner and a first step.
7. Test the placements with the team. Turn every uncertain placement into a question with someone to answer it, and redraw the map when the answers come back.

Where it comes from

The method and its book, Wardley Maps, are by Simon Wardley, who published the book openly on Medium under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license (CC BY-SA 4.0). Free editions are listed at Learn Wardley Mapping. This page's text is our own summary of the method, with our own example. It isn't written, reviewed, or endorsed by Simon Wardley. The matching AI skill is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 too. For more methods, see the strategy books index.

Questions

What are the axes of a Wardley map?

The vertical axis is the value chain, ordered by how visible each component is to the user, with the user's need at the top. The horizontal axis is evolution: genesis, custom-built, product (including rental), and commodity (including utility).

Is Wardley mapping free to use?

Yes. Simon Wardley published his book Wardley Maps openly on Medium under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license, and free editions are available.

How is a Wardley map different from a value chain diagram?

A value chain diagram shows the activities a company performs. A Wardley map adds how evolved each component is, which tells you where to build, buy, or rent, and what is likely to change next.